Walking the Talk: Early Childhood Educators' Beliefs, Practices and Professional Identity

This study investigates the inter-relationship of early childhood educators' curriculum beliefs, practices and professional identity. It attempts to answer the following questions: What are the relationships among curriculum practices, beliefs about curriculum, and professional identities in qualified early childhood educators, what are educators' curriculum practices, what are educators' beliefs about curriculum, how do educators describe their professional identities and what are the relations among educational and professional backgrounds of educators and their self-reported beliefs about curriculum, their practices of curriculum, and their descriptions of professional identity. This study uses a mixed method research design that combines case study and observational assessment. This results in uncovering a number of complex relationships between the educators and their practices.